


Menacing Visions/Hopeful Omens

by CreeNicole



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 00:09:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CreeNicole/pseuds/CreeNicole
Summary: Picking up at the throne room scene in The Last Jedi, this story digs into the EU to pit Rey and Kylo against a threat from outside their galaxy.





	Menacing Visions/Hopeful Omens

Ben continued to reach out to her, both with his hand and through their connection to the Force. Asking her to make any decision while her friends were seconds from death was cruel and she pleaded with him again, “Order them to stop firing!” He didn’t move. Her injuries from the fight, none more than a minor cut, sprain or burn, screamed nonetheless. The heat and smoke from small fires their fight with the Preatorian guards had created was making the large throne room feel smaller by the second. She came here for  _ him _ , he cut down Snoke, they fought side by side, how could she have been so wrong about what would happen next?

“It’s too much!!” she yelled. “You say to let the past die, but those people aren’t my past, they're my here and now, the only family I’ve ever had! Kill them and you’ll kill any hope of an alliance between us!” It killed part of her to say it. Fighting alongside Ben had felt so right, like they’d been born to fight as one. She was shocked to find that she’d give almost anything to feel that way again and she felt as if every cell in her body was being torn in two. 

He balled his free hand into a fist, but his face betrayed no new emotion.  
“We can decide what to do, about the rebellion and the order, about everything else... we can decide what to do _later_ , just stop firing on those ships. Let them land. Let them... be _prisoners_ on that damn icicle of a planet. Just don’t ask this of me, not after everything that’s happened today.” She stepped towards him. She reached towards him but didn’t yet take his hand. Looking him straight in the eye, tears streaming down her face, she asked again, “Please.”

  
His expression softened an almost imperceptible fraction, “Together, then.” he said.

  
She took his hand. As soon as she touched him the world around them went dark. It was as if none of their senses worked anymore, as if they’d been pulled from their bodies. It was a shock neither of them could express, they couldn’t speak or move. Anguish crept into their minds, coming on slow at first but building into a torment that absolutely overcame them. They heard screams, people calling out in every language, calling for an end to the pain, cursing their lives and their tormentors. Images of suffering and death like nothing either of them could have imagined swelled and crashed against their minds. Had it lasted any longer they would have been driven mad. When it faded it was replaced by a loneliness greater than anything Rey had known on Jakku, greater than anything a single creature could ever know. It was a loneliness born from the loss of the life of an entire galaxy. They came to realize it was the death of the Force itself. It was followed, jarringly, by an image of a verdant planet. Their shared vision ended with the sight of a temple entrance on that planet, and the whispered promises of answers for what they just saw.

  
The vision was only seconds long but had felt like and eternity. Released from the vision they crumpled to the hard floor of the throne room. It took Rey several heartbeats to come back into her body, to remember what was going on before the vision had taken them. “The ships...”  
Ben stood and walked, half-awake it seemed, to operate a console on the arm of Snoke’s throne. He couldn’t remember exactly why he’d agreed to stop the bombardment, but he operated from a place of shock. After what he’d seen he needed to regroup. “This is Kylo Ren, I am ordering an immediate cease-fire. Allow the remaining ships to land, but shoot down anything that tries to leave.” 

He collapsed again, his back against the side of the throne. Neither of them bothered to listen to the affirmative yet dubious response from the bridge but both could sense that the firing had stopped.   
“Do you know....” Rey had to pause, still desperate to catch her breath, “what planet that was?”  
____________________________________________________________________________

 

Before they left the throne room together Ben grabbed Rey and pulled her to face him. He angled his head down so that he could look her straight in the eye. Standing like this, and squeezing her a bit hard by the shoulders, Ben insisted that Rey call him Kylo in front of anyone onboard. He also insisted that Rey allow herself to be led to the med-bay to be tended to by medical droids. He said he had business on the bridge, and that he would meet with her soon. Through their connection to the force he vaguely threatened to compel her to do as he said. She agreed to do these things and then wait for him without being compelled.  He made good on his promise to rejoin her soon. After meeting her in the med-bay he took her to an empty mess hall and they ate together, silently for a while. They’d been served a stew with meat, which Rey picked around, and a soft but hearty dark bread that Rey found delicious.  
  
“Here, it’s Kylo, Supreme Leader or,” he paused for emphasis, “‘Master’. I’ll not have them questioning what transpired in the throne room. I killed Snoke. I’m now the Supreme Leader. I either gained an apprentice while doing that, or at the very least, an ally that respects my position.” 

Rey nodded. She didn’t actually give a Luggabeast’s droppings. All she cared about was regaining her strength, ensuring her friends safety, and then finding that planet and the reason for their shared vision. Her burns itched from a salve the droids had applied. She noticed he hadn’t been seen by the droids but that his wounds, small scratches and burns like hers, seemed nearly healed. She pointed this out.

“Force healing,” he said. “I can show you if you agree to be trained.” 

She let the offer hang, those words made her feel something she couldn’t put in words. A shyness, something vague and childish she tried to force from her mind. She helped herself to more bread. She tried to tell herself she had a teacher already, in Master Luke, but did she really? If something like Force Healing existed, just how much was there to learn? Would she be able to teach herself things like that from the books she’d stolen from the shrine on Ach-To?   
Her thoughts shifted to her friends on the planet below. She needed to be smart, political about this. She calmed her mind and searched for a way to ask about her friends and to lead the discussion towards the assurances she wanted. In the end she remembered a piece of knowledge about haggling she’d learned from growing up on Jakku. Sometimes it just worked best to ask for what you want.

“My friends on Crait don’t know about the cease-fire. They don’t know what’s going on up here. I need to speak to them. They may need supplies, medical attention.”

It worked, he did appreciate her directness. He was aware that she’d been thinking about this. Her ability to shield her mind against direct attacks was impressive but she didn’t think to mask anything about herself otherwise, body language, facial expressions, surface thoughts, all were an open book. She was strong but deeply naive. He  _ felt _ her decide not to deceive him or attempt to manipulate him. It put a warmth in his chest he didn’t want to acknowledge but couldn’t quite shield himself from. 

“I’ll allow you to contact the Rebels. I’ll arrange a secure line. We can send the bare minimum of supplies without arousing suspicion. I’ve told the Order that the remaining Rebels are being kept alive for information, so it makes sense that you will request they send over a droid, Artoo, if he’s still in one piece. His memory banks contain extensive star maps from Master Luke’s travels. I recognize the architecture, that was some sort of Jedi temple in the vision we shared. If the team I’ve assigned to search for the planet we saw can’t come up with anything, maybe Artoo can.”

“So we’re going to find that planet?”  
“Of course. We’ll leave for it as soon as we do.”

“And what of my friends while we’re gone?”  
“The Order will still be under orders to shoot down anything that tries to leave. Nothing will be allowed to land besides our supply ships.”  
“And when we get back?”  
“I’ll decide what to do with the Rebel scum when we return,” he said with a sudden coldness that gripped her heart. It ended the conversation and their meal.

 

Rey stuck mostly to the script Ben had insisted on in her conversation with General Leia, however when Rey acknowledged that she had agreed to allow the Rebels to become prisoners on Crait she needed to explain why. She told Leia about the vision, how it had shown her that a greater threat than the Order was coming for the entire galaxy. She reached out through the force to try to impress on General Leia the truth and significance of the vision, hoping she would realize greater things were at stake now. It’s not what Ben wanted, though he didn’t stop her as he listened. 

General Leia finally spoke, “I don’t like it. I hate it, in fact. But I trust you Rey. I don’t know what you saw but I trust you, and I don’t really have a choice, do I?” Silence followed.  
“I’m so sorry.” Rey said.

“I know you’re doing all you can,” Leia said in a lovingly stern, guilt inducing way that only a mother figure could pull off.

“How’s my boy?” The General finally asked.

Ben leaned forward and cut the communication.

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Rey was bone tired, Ben sensed this and arranged for a place for her to rest. There was a small section of the ship for dignitaries and non-military personnel but in the haste of war it had never been outfitted. She ended up sleeping on a small mat someone had placed on the empty frame of a much larger bed. Someone had found a generous supply of decent looking blankets and she assumed they had attempted to make up for the lack of comfort in the place with an outrageous pile of them stacked on the bed. It was cute in a way she never could have expected from someone in the First Order, but she reminded herself that, cute as it seemed, it was probably an act born of fear. The place smelled brand new, and after she woke up the next day she had to remove plastic coverings from the bathroom features in order to use them. The water was hot, and in her still-tired state she could hardly process the luxury of it. New clothes had been sent to her, all black, reminding her that the people here thought she’d become an apprentice to their Supreme Leader. Regretfully the black tunic and pants that she loathed on sight were warm. The ship was cold and her own clothes that she’d hand-washed weren’t dry yet. She decided to layer her own arm wraps, jacket and belt over the new clothes before she clipped on her lightsaber and left to find the mess-hall.

In the halls no one she passed looked her in the eye, some were afraid, some were mistrusting and some she’d passed avoided her gaze out of what felt like pure hate. She was lucky to find a droid that found no reason to avoid telling her where the main mess-hall was. It added thoughtfully that it was aware she had clearance to eat in the officer’s mess-hall instead, that most people who had such clearance seemed to prefer it and that it had just learned from the food service droid there that she had consumed 843 grams of food in the officers mess-hall yesterday, and offered to tell the approximate nutrients totals therein. She declined, troubled that she only now realized how much information could be gathered from her every action. She didn’t realize these droids shared a network and communicated so effectively throughout the ship. She walked to the officer’s mess-hall in stunned silence.

Within she was served fruit and bread, and a warm dark drink. She declined the meat offered. Before she could turn around with her tray she saw that tables that had been occupied were clearing quickly. By the time she reached the nearest table no one remained at  _ any _ table. Apparently her presence inspired hate or fear even to those in command here, but that suited her well enough for now. Her drink was bitter but not unpalatable. Soon the doors to the mess-hall opened and she saw Ben enter, furious. 

“DO NOT MAKE ME SEARCH FOR YOU AGAIN. EVER.”

Shocked, she replied sarcastically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize I was supposed to ask for permission to leave my room.”

He continued to stand there scowling, his eyes burning with anger. 

“People wake up hungry, you know. I’m just getting food.” She added.

“You should have reached out to me, through our connection to the Force. You should have let me know you were awake. I’ve been  _ waiting _ for you. But I tried not to  _ disturb _ you. But now Artoo is aboard, and will only speak to  _ you _ , so it was time to get you. When I got to your room you were MISSING,” he said with even more anger, as he force pushed tables and chairs out of his way and walked towards her, “and some idiot service droid told me where you were!” 

She stood, her hand reflexively moving to her saber. He was terrifying like this. He walked towards her until he was within striking distance, but made no further movements himself, he seemed content now to just seeth with an anger that seemed to change the barometric pressure of the room. She hated to admit it, but she saw his point. She realized he wasn’t used to dealing with people at all in this capacity. It had taken a lot for him to even consider her in the way he had. She was sorry, but his raging at her like this was completely unacceptable. She pulled herself up to her full height, looked him in the eyes, and clenched her jaw. In a loud yet restrained voice she said, “I’m sorry. I will reach out to you in the future if I know you’re waiting for me.” To prevent anyone possibly still around from hearing the rest she lowered her voice to add, “But kriff Kylo, don’t you yell at me like that again. Don’t storm at me like that. I don’t...  _ answer _ to you.” 

He surprised himself by calming down a bit. There was a lot he wanted to say, but none of it would change the fact that he wanted to explode every table and chair in the hall into splinters... nor would it make it easier for them to work together today. He took a breath. He’d almost pushed her to the point of igniting that saber. If they fought of course he’d win, but would he earn another scar?  He wasn’t done being mad but he was humored by the woman before him. Someone who couldn’t sense the force could easily make the mistake of thinking she couldn’t defend herself, her being so short and feminine. He force pulled the piece of bread on her plate to his hand and took a bite. He turned to the doors, “Come with me,” he said and then muttered, “Inconsiderate, piece of druk apprentice.”

Rey didn’t know what a piece of druk was, or if he truly thought she was his apprentice now, but she was glad that things hadn’t escalated further. She followed him down several corridors. While traveling in a lift, short, curt comments that she supposed passed for a conversation with him led her to realize that he hadn’t slept all night. Instead he’d been making arrangements so that they could leave, giving orders, consolidating his power as Supreme Leader, then finally receiving Artoo. She wondered if he’d even eaten. Finally she followed him into a room full of control panels and busy workers. Here at last was Artoo.

“Everyone out.” People were moving before Ben finished speaking. Rey ran to Artoo, who made happy but dubious beeps and woos at her approach. She hugged him and asked him if he was okay. He said yes, then insulted her black clothes and asked what Master Luke would say. She told him she’d only put them on because they were warm and dry. He asked her what her escape plan was and how she planned to rescue the Rebels on the planet below. She told him everything, though it broke her heart to disappoint him. He was silent for a long time. She was sure the little droid was sitting there deciding whether she was full of... what was it? Druk? But then Artoo started beeping about a dream Master Luke had woken up from screaming and never spoken of again. He began a recording and Rey was troubled once again by how much droids constantly learn about their human counterparts.

In the projected image Master Luke was younger. Though most of his surroundings couldn’t be seen it looked like he was lying next to a woman, which shocked Rey. He was sleeping fitfully, eventually rolling in his sleep to face Artoo. Still sleeping he muttered, “What do they want? Where did they come from?” There was agony on his face, then he screamed, “WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T LET THEM THROUGH!” Some seconds later he muttered in a sad voice, “They did it, they killed us all. They killed... everything.” In the recording Master Luke awoke with a start and Artoo beeped at him. “Just a dream Artoo, I’m fine. Just a horrible dream.” The recording cut off as Master Luke rose from the bed, his female companion sleepily reaching for him.

Artoo beeped that he was always suspicious of that moment, he said that Master Luke almost never dreamed, and that when he did it was often a force premonition.   
“Will you help us Artoo?” she asked. Artoo responded that he would help _her_. They got to work.

 

“Yes, it green, bright green, plenty of clouds, what looked like one very large land mass, criss-crossed with oddly uniform rivers. ” Rey told Artoo.

“The planet had a yellow sun and there was also a nebula, green and red gas, bright new stars, from our view of the planet it looked to be... at least the planet’s own diameter away and to the right, maybe a tenth of the planets diameter above the planet’s equator, and who knows it’s size or distance beyond the planet. But that’s roughly where it was.” Ben added. Rey was astonished at the clarity of his description. She hadn’t even noticed the nebula, it made her wonder if they’d had exactly the same vision. Artoo beeped to let them know he was searching and then he went silent.

Almost an hour passed while they quietly waited. Rey thought about finding another helping of that bitter, warm drink, but then Artoo had something. 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Kylo’s fighter wasn’t large enough for two people on a long trip. Large ships were more comfortable but would be difficult to fly with only two people. They only had one ship on the roster that was something in the middle, but it had few defenses and wasn’t very fast. He didn’t like it. He chose a fighter not much larger than his own, threw some supplies together, and had Rey and Artoo meet him in the hanger.

“We could... take the Falcon...” Rey suggested as she looked at the ship he’d chosen. 

“Absolutely not.” Ben said. “I’d sooner destroy that ship than set foot on it.”

“Then how about that one?” she pointed to a larger ship nearby.

“Okay, we’ll just bring three more astrometric droids, a third pilot, at least one engineer, take some time to pack more supplies for all of us, and,” he leaned towards her, “and I may have to kill the pilot and engineer, depending on what we find when we get there. Not that I mind, just that I’d rather get going.”  
“Okay then. This ship it is.” Rey said flatly, and she and Artoo went up the ramp to the ship’s hold, Rey carrying a backpack she’d found and filled with supplies of her own. Artoo chose a port that allowed him to interface with the ship and settled in. Rey set her bag down behind the navigator’s seat, but after a second thought she said, “I can fly, if you want.” She began to turn back towards the hold and smacked right into Ben, not realizing that he was behind her, inches from her. He didn’t back away, and she couldn’t. 

“That’s fine. I don’t care either way. Let’s get going.” He slid by her, brushing her right arm though she tried to to avoid his touch by pulling it closer towards her. He sat in the left seat, allowing her the pilot’s seat. She was discomforted by his proximity but able to work through the foreign protocols for leaving the First Order’s hanger without his help. Engaging the hyperdrive was also simple for her to figure out, even though she’d never flown anything like the fighter they’d be stuck in for the next 27 hours.

The flight was smooth and Ben surprised Rey by sleeping and meditating through most of it, laying down in the hold until he decided to take a shift at the controls, not that they needed any adjusting. Artoo beeped and whirred to let them know they were about to drop from hyperspace and they did, arriving close to the atmosphere of the lush planet they came to investigate. They dropped lower to allow Artoo and the ships sensors to scan the planet’s surface for the temple. They found a variety of ruins, an ancient civilization had constructed countless miles of aqueducts to feed long dead cities far from the stormy seas that tore at the coasts. At last something came across the screen that they had both seen before, and they flew to it.

Extending the ramp from the hold, Ben was intensely curious about what they might find. He wasn’t nervous, really, but he did suddenly wish he’d brought his helmet. The atmosphere was humid and the air smelled of greenery. Artoo stayed with the ship, along with their supplies. “I can feel the temple’s connection to the force,” Rey said, “but it doesn’t feel light. Or at least not _just_ light. It has a primal sort of darkness, I’ve felt something like it before, do you feel it?”   
“An ancient Jedi temple, with darkness emanating from it. I’d have wanted to come here without seeing that damn vision.” He walked ahead to the entrance. The temple was built into the side of a modest mountain. There was no light inside the passage, but cool air was being forced out of it. Ben held out his hand to better feel it. “There must be another entrance somewhere. At least we don’t have to worry about fresh air.” He ignited his lightsaber for light. She followed several paces behind, a deep sense of foreboding slowing her steps. 

“We have no idea what we’re walking into,” she said.

“I know, isn’t it thrilling? Don’t worry,” he turned to her, the red from his saber lighting his face, “I’ll protect you, little Jedi.” It was a jest, she was sure, but the humor of it never reached his eyes.

They walked for what felt like miles, seeing little variation in the long passage. It’s walls, carved into the mountain’s granite, blended together and seemed to stretch on forever. Suddenly Ben and Rey both stopped, feeling something dark approaching behind them. Rey ignited her saber and turned. What she saw had little form. It was vaguely human in shape but transparent, reflecting a little of the blue light from her saber and a little of the red from Ben’s. Before either of them could speak it advanced, and Ben cut it in half before Rey could react. It’s form evaporated into nothingness. She turned on him, angrily, “What if it had something to tell us?” 

Ben tried to warn her that another was behind her but it moved too quickly. Sensing something she whirled around again, too late. It passed right through Rey and then met the same fate as the wraith before it at the end of Ben’s saber. Rey shuddered and almost dropped her blade. 

“Are you alright? What did it do to you?”  
Rey sighed, “I’m fine, it was just... cold.” She now looked sullen and exhausted, entirely unlike her normal self.  
Several more appeared all around them. The wraiths circled and approached from all directions, but this time they were both ready. Rey and Ben cut through them quickly though more and more appeared. Finally, one managed to pass through Ben. He felt the same curious cold that Rey had felt before and something more, like his rage had ebbed. He needed his anger, it sharpened him in battle. More and more wraiths came, and each time one passed through either of them they felt heavier, colder, and more apathetic. He reached for Rey through their connection and could tell she was losing something she needed, something that helped _her_ fight... her hope. He panicked for her, for them both, and it kept him going a bit longer. Eventually they both stopped. They extinguished their blades and looked blankly to the wraiths who also stopped their attack. Two wraiths led them further into the tunnel, Ben and Rey followed, not having the will to do anything else. The rest of the wraiths remained behind them in a silent floating formation, a ghostly honor guard for the first two visitors to this temple in almost five hundred years. They walked further into the temple, hopeless, rageless, mindless.

When they came to an open area they gasped for air as if they’d been holding their breath for hours. They were themselves again, if exhausted to their core. Around them the wraiths faded to nothing. Ahead of them was a large chamber open to the night sky. Stars were peeking out in the dusk above them, though it had been midday when they landed their ship. How far they’d walked in that time, or how long they’d been walking, they could not know. They heard running water and walked further into the chamber. A moon cast enough light down for them to see that the walls of the chamber were ornately carved. Each carving depicted humanoids involved in different activities and life stages. The unclimbable walls seemed to be telling several life stories. Births, deaths, celebrations, harvests, Rey walked along the wall to her right and ran a finger down one particular carving. Some of it's detail crumbled at her slight touch. She continued to admire the carvings without touching them. She walked a few more paces and discovered a carving that she didn’t understand until she realized upon close inspection that it was of two humanoids engaged in an indecent activity. She abruptly turned away, embarrassed. Ben had ignored the carvings and walked straight towards the stream that ran through the room. Moss, grass, and trees all shared the large space. The stream came through a stone portal in the wall in order to meander through the chamber. It was obviously integrated as part of the original architecture, but the stream had since grown in size and caused some destruction to the wall. There was no egress through that hole though, the water came through it with some force. Rey joined Ben while he decided that the water was good for drinking. She cupped her hands and helped herself as well. A polite sort of throat clearing sound caused them to snap their heads downstream. Above the water there was a shimmering ghost. A woman in strange clothes. She wasn’t like the wraiths in the hall that led them here. She looked nearly solid, though made of light.

“After so long, to see you two now. What year is it?”

Ben ignited his lightsaber. 

Rey stood and moved between them. “34 ABY.”

“That means nothing to me. What is the Lothal year?

“3311, witch.” Ben answered but menaced her still.

The woman laughed. “Oh, I’m not like the wights that guard this place, you can’t dispel me, though you’re welcome to try.” She was smiling. “3311. That’s sounds impossible, but I can tell you’re not lying. That means I’ve been here 498 years.” She paused. “Alone 444 of them.”  
“That sounds... terrible.” Rey sympathized. The ghost did not acknowledge her.

“I mean neither of you any harm, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. You can put that away.”

“You know us.” Ben said as he clipped his saber back onto his belt, his eyes never leaving the ghost.

“I do. Very, very well. I’ve been waiting for you both for so long.”

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

“As far as I can tell, for some reason I was chosen, along with one other, to be the guardian of this temple and to share with you the visions I’ve received since I’ve been here.”

“Then show us these visions, witch, so we can be on our way.”

“I can’t do that yet. You are both too exhausted to receive them. And if you try to leave before I’ve shown you what I have to share, the wights will simply bring you back to me. The wights always bring you back. Trust me, I danced with them for many years myself.” 

Rey was closer to the ghost now, able to see more of the details of her spectral form. She wore a revealing dress of black, strips of rough material crisscrossing her body over a gown made of a smoother material. Tattoos marked her arms and face, designs Rey had never seen before, and about her eyes was written a tiny script that looked like kohl eyeliner from a distance. Rey didn’t recognize the language. Her dark hair was half up in braids and metal beads were woven in as well. The witch, as Ben kept calling her, was not the source of the dark power here, as far as Rey could tell. Her energy felt light, contrary to her appearance.

“Are you from this planet? What happened to its people?” Rey asked.

“Oh the people who built this were long gone before I got here. One of the secrets this place hasn’t divulged to me is the downfall of their society. No, I was drawn here by a promise of power. I had dreams for months. If I knew then what I know now I would have be able to distinguish that they were not true visions. The dreams manipulated me into believing that this temple held some weapon or tool that would help me become the ruler of my clan, maybe my world. At the time, space travel was not as common or as convenient as I believe it must be for you, but I made my way here, fought the wights at the entrance, and eventually came to this courtyard, where I spent the rest of my living life, and some 400 years apparently, as a ghost.”

“Tell us about the vision she and I shared.” Ben demanded, pointing to Rey.

“I will, I promise I will share with you everything I know, in time. What I can say now is that the enemy you face is nothing like anything in this galaxy. They are coming, there is nothing to be done about that. But if you both put away your war, if you find a way to bring the galaxy together under one banner determined to prepare for and fight this enemy together, then life in this galaxy, and the force itself, may survive.”

Rey and Ben were silent. She continued, “These trees bear a variety of fruits, if you are hungry that is all I have to offer. If they had died out over the past centuries your time here would have been miserable. You must wash the fruit from the tree here before eating it,” she pointed, “it’s skin is edible but a fungus grows on it that is not. My favorite, in my time, was the fruit from that tree. You must peel it but it’s juice it sweet.” She pointed again, “That fruit is slimy and disgusting but it has nutritional content the others lack. You really should try them all, you won’t be here long enough to get sick of them, I hope. There is an antechamber that way,” she pointed towards the far wall downstream this time, “where one may relieve themselves, the stream passes underneath it. Very tidy. I suggest sleeping out here in the courtyard when the weather permits. Many of the rooms that lead off from here were once burial chambers. While living I cleared the remains out of a few chambers to use them for other purposes, but... it’s nicer out here.” Without a word of goodbye or warning the ghost vanished. Ben cursed and stormed off. He was confused, exhausted, and he hated the fact that he was now a prisoner. He felt that the vision that led him here had effectively been a trap.

Rey took their circumstances in stride. The past six months of her life had been confusing, full of loss, and spent in constant motion. Her life hadn’t  _ ever _ presented her with much of an illusion of control, being stuck here was just another example of that. Anger did not burn in her heart, only curiosity. She went straight for the fruit that the witch had suggested as her favorite. Orange and green blended and competed to be the dominant color on its skin as Rey delicately peeled it. She did not find the juice particularly sweet, but it was good and it helped with her thirst as well as her hunger. After a second fruit, she walked among the trees until she found an area that was flat, dry, and mostly free of grass or moss. She took off her jacket since the night was warm and used it as a pillow. She fell asleep easily.

 

Dawn broke and the sky lightened but sunlight didn’t touch the courtyard for several more hours. Rey washed her face and hands in the stream, changed quickly into spare clothes she had brought, then quietly explored the courtyard for a while. She came to a stone plinth, the statue it once held had crumbled long ago. The plinth had two stones on either side which looked to be the right height for chairs. She sat down, leaned forward and rested her forearms on the plinth. It made a decent table. She heard Ben approach. He sat on the other makeshift chair. He had been carrying an orange and green skinned fruit and when he sat down he started to peel it. They shared a glance but didn’t speak to one another. Neither of them were much for small talk. Rey didn’t mean to stare but she found herself watching his hands as they peeled the fruit. It’s skin was thin and hard to peel off in large chunks unless you worked on it slowly. He was having difficulty with it and was tearing into the fruit at times. Eventually the skin was off and he brushed the peelings from the table and onto the ground after taking a bite. Before he finished eating the ghost appeared silently.

“You both seem ready to begin.”

Ben glowered. He chucked his unfinished bit of fruit over his shoulder.

“Before we do, may I ask your name?” Rey interjected.

The ghost blinked in surprise. “Oh, of course, I am Velall, once I was Velall of the Night Sisters. I’m from a planet called Dathomir.”

“She’s from an ancient matriarchy of force users. She is dressed as one of their number that is something like a Sith. She’s a witch.” Ben explained to Rey.

“You’ve been calling me witch, but now I understand you truly _do_ know my people. Tell me, do the clans still rule and war there?” The witch’s eyes were wide and imploring.  
“Of course, witch. Your people still exist and still squabble amongst each other.”

“Good.” She smiled. “May they all rot in Gerzir.” She added, though her smile never faltered. 

“These visions I can share with you today are full of carnage and suffering. This first one is very important, in it you can see one of main difficulties this enemy presents. Are you ready?”

They both nodded, and the vision overcame them. They were in the body of another force user. From his point of view they found themselves running towards a building engulfed in flames. The force user reached the building and started to move debris with his hands and with the force, desperately. He heard people screaming. He began dragging people he could from the flames, many of them badly wounded. He couldn’t help them more than he was. He was breathing in too much smoke to last much longer himself. Coughing, he felt a sudden pain in his back. A blade had pierced him. He turned to see a pale, bald, horrifically scarred warrior wearing strange insect-like black armor, sneering at him. He force pushed the warrior away as hard as he could, but the warrior only moved a foot. The warrior advanced, and the force user drew a weapon. They spared but the force user quickly succumbed to his first wound. The warrior in black drew out the force user’s death slowly and painfully. Through the vision they felt it all. “FOR YUN-YUUZHAN!” the warrior yelled when it was finished. The vision ended.

After a few moments of silence Ben said the obvious, “So they aren’t affected by the force.”

“No. From what I can tell they exist completely outside the force. They can’t feel it or use it, they don’t understand it, and they harbor a consuming hate for it and it’s users.”

She continued, “In some of these visions I’ll show you today, you’ll see that you can still indirectly affect them with the force. You can throw things at them, you can blow the hulls of weakened ships...” Rey and Ben nodded. “And eventually some people will be able to sense them by sensing where in the galaxy the force is suspiciously absent. But their numbers, their technology, their bloodlust, their dedication to the eradication of all life in this galaxy? This fight will take everything you have. Everything the  _ galaxy _ has. Let me show you more.”

The witch shared visions with them until the stars came out again. In visions they experienced the deaths of others, in visions they killed as the invaders themselves, in visions they triumphed and fell, tortured and were tortured. Some visions were from the vantages of creatures so strange and foreign to them that they could only puzzle at what they were seeing, hearing and feeling. Confusingly, not all the visions were from the same future, since that had not truly been written yet. The witch guided them through this with all the wisdom her 400-some years of analysis could provide them. She was a brilliant tactician in her own time and her analysis consistently showed this. She was able to point out details from each vision that they hadn’t noticed themselves, since she had recalled each vision she shared with them a hundred times on her own, at least. 

Throughout the day these force visions allowed them to see a motley collection of scenes from these possible futures. Each held clues as to how and when battles would take place. The clue they most valued was that the invaders had to come to their galaxy through portals. They did not have hyperdrives, the traveled through some other technology that took time and could be thwarted. If one knew where a portal would appear, one could set charges and create an explosion that would collapse the portal before the invaders could bring their ships through. Besides the simple fact that the invaders could be killed, that they could be caused to bleed black blood and their bones could be crushed, the portals were their only weakness.

“I’ll leave now, until tomorrow. I must tell you, not every vision I have is for sharing with the both of you. Tomorrow, I’ll meet with Kylo alone. Rey, if you stay in the northeast corner of the courtyard, that should provide us with all the privacy we need. I’ll meet with you here at dawn, Kylo Ren,” and with that she vanished.

Ben and Rey made their way to a few of the best fruit trees and ate a silent supper. Afterwards Rey tiredly asked, “When we leave here, how can we create the peace needed to face this future? How can we possibly unite the galaxy?”

“Simple, we finish wiping out the Resistance on Crait. Then we use the First Order to gather whatever resources we need. We expand our forces. We conscript every able body in the galaxy and train them. I’ve seen plans our engineers have come up with, we can convert entire planets into weapons...”  
“BEN!” Rey yelled, interrupting him, coming to her feet and throwing down the fruit she was eating. “How can you even say that? After everything we’ve seen? Your answer is still more killing? For all you know one of the resistance fighters on Crait is the key to winning an important battle! We need every able body, every force sensitive, every man, woman and child! We need light users, dark users! We need Generals who’ve fought armies greater than their own!” she looked him dead in the eyes while narrowing her own, “and you need me.”

That much was very true. In the few visions that featured future versions of themselves they were always together, fighting side by side. 

“If you kill my friends, you’ll lose me.”  
“Well maybe then I’ll just find a planet far away and wait for the Vong alone.” He threatened. “Maybe I don’t _care_ if they wipe out the galaxy.” That was a lie and Rey could tell, but it disgusted her so much she simply stormed off. 

“Just accept that you become my apprentice! You saw the visions, you saw yourself drawing power from the dark side! You know what happens! You can’t fight it!” he paused, then continued louder and with more anger, “I never  _ lose _ you, because you’re already MINE!” His voice followed her but he did not. 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

Ben met with the witch at dawn. He hadn’t slept, there was too much for him to think about. Too much information, too many details from visions he found himself desperate to commit to memory. He sat at the plinth.  
“Rest well?” she asked sarcastically.  
“Get on with it, witch.” he said.

She smiled. “Maybe I’ll wait for your attitude to improve.”  
  
“Maybe I’ll cut you down and throw your body in the stream.”  
  
“Stupid boy. I do like you. We would have had a LOT of fun had we met while I was living. You know I was _strong_ with the dark side for many years. I’ll try not to take any pleasure from showing you these next few visions, but today... I get to show you the death of Ben Solo.”  
  
This vision was from his own perspective, it was easy to tell. He was on the bridge of a ship, a battle was taking place. Energy weapons were focused on... Rey, he realized. She was older, much older. Lines and scars drew her face but she was still stunning, fierce and beautiful. She was wearing an odd and ill-fitting collection of armor, some of it looked... Mandalorian? She was clearly exhausted, perhaps injured, and unable to leave her cover because of the heavy fire. The energy bolts aimed at her were about to eat through the console she was hiding behind. He had to do something. He pulled at an access panel. Using the force he sent it flying at the attackers. There were more metal consoles to pull apart, he threw them all. He tore at the ship and sent pieces flying at the invaders, desperate to end their fire. He finally tore out something structural, and though that last piece ended the assault as it collided with the remaining enemies he accidentally brought heavy pieces of the ship down on top of himself. He was pinned. No, crushed. He realized he couldn’t feel his arms or legs. Something wet pooled around his neck, then Rey was by his side, screaming, at first he could barely hear her words. She pleaded for him to be okay, to get up. She saw his wounds and realized lifting the debris wouldn’t save him. She cried for him, openly. He saw that she was wounded, bleeding herself from at least one place on her torso. She caressed his face. She kissed him tenderly. She looked down at her hand, he saw a detonator in it. She touched him again. Then, while gripping her stomach, she moved to a window. From the floor he could only barely see what she saw. Ragtag ships were jumping to hyperspeed, rushing away from the prow of an impossibly large Vong ship that was just beginning to pass through one of their strange portals. She knelt by his side. 

“They got away.” she said as she smiled and wiped away a tear. She touched him again. “Go, Rey!” he managed to choke out, “Run!” 

She shook her head. She brushed hair from his forehead while looking into his eyes. She leaned down and kissed him again. She activated the detonator and they turned into light.

Ben came out of the vision confused as hell. 

“She didn’t have to die. Why didn’t she run when I told her to?”

“Part of her died when she saw that you were dying. Part of her lived on when she saw that her children escaped. This is the second to last vision in that timeline. The next clearly shows the last of the Vong being repelled. The threat practically ends when she destroys that portal. You had both served your purpose, and somehow she knew that.”

Ben was silent. There were so many implications in this vision his head spun. 

“But don’t you see?” The witch tried to match his gaze, “Your final moments are of sacrifice, of love! What more could anyone ask for? In this vision, your past deeds,  _ all are forgiven by the one you care for most _ .” 

He narrowed his eyes and finally looked into hers. “So if I live a life of service, of compromise, if I accept that I must consort with enemies of the Order, if I give everything to this cause, I can at  _ long last _ gain a retribution  _ I don’t want _ ? No, thank you, witch.” He got up to walk away.

“Then sit down again and let me show you the death of  _ Kylo Ren _ .” After a pause he did, curious.

In this vision he awoke to blinking lights, a visor was occluding the top three quarters of his vision, words demanding information in the language of the Yuuzhan Vong appeared. He did what they asked of him, using an ability he wasn’t strong in at this point in his life, one that he hadn’t been sure he would ever be. In the vision he groggily reached out in his mind and attempted to feel another force sensitive being, anywhere, out there in the empty galaxy. He was suspended in a clear fluid, much like the bacta tanks he’d seen in various med-bays. Again, he could not feel his arms or his legs, a strange symmetry at this point in each vision. He searched and searched. He felt nothing, no one. 

“They’re gone, there’s no one left.” He said in his own language. He felt a sharp pain as a machine he was attached to injected him with something that made every nerve in his body tingle, making him feel awake, alive and raw. 

“That won’t help, they’re really all gone.” 

His instructions from the visor changed.  _ Find any living creature _ , they demanded.

He searched. He struggled. He couldn’t believe what he hadn’t felt earlier. He hadn’t felt the absence of other force sensitives, he’d felt the absence of the force itself. He searched, and a realization crept into his heart, upsetting him so much that bile rose in his throat. Everything he had ever known, everything, every plant, animal and humanoid, was dead. They’d succeeded. 

“It’s all gone. You’ve won, you druk eating bastards.”

Hooks and machines he’d long ago stopped feeling dug into his skin and pulled him from the tank he was in. After the fluid stopped dripping from his body he could see his reflection in the water of the tank. Hoses and various medical apparatuses were popping off of him. He was naked. He was missing his arms and his legs. He was old, bald and pale. His blue veins stood out from his skin. He looked just like...gods, he looked like his grandfather. Two Vong entered. Kylo had served his purpose, it was time to dispose of him. The Vong would take their time killing him, not even just because they enjoyed it, more as a point of bureaucracy. Their work began. The last living member of his galaxy screamed.

“LIES!” He shouted when we came back to himself. “I’d never let myself become... enslaved like that.” 

“That much is true. Once shown that vision you understand the importance of killing yourself before you ever allow them to capture you. That timeline won’t exist, if you’re smart.”

She gave him a few moments to calm down. “I have just one more vision to show you and you alone, when you’re ready.” He took his time, and let her know when he was.

This vision was from the past, he realized. He was on an old Empire ship, he’d seen consoles and droids like these before. He walked with purpose, he walked with pride. He saw through a faceplate. He could hear his own breathing, it was assisted by a chest piece, wait.... was this a vision of his grandfather? A reflection in a window he passed confirmed it. He tried to settle into the vision, to feel more of what his grandfather had felt, to know as much about him as he could, but unlike many visions that were painted with the emotions of the person who’s memory it was, at this point this vision was almost empty of emotion. That disappointed him. 

Darth Vader walked through a set of doors, came to a throne and kneeled. He’d been called by the Emperor, his Master, to receive a new assignment. Finally an emotion crept into this vision. Hateful reverence. His grandfather had hated the Emperor, more than Kylo himself had ever hated Snoke.

“Ah, my faithful apprentice,” the Emperor drew out the last word, “so good to see you. I trust you received the plans for our new weapon? Were you able to look at them?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Good, use whatever resources you need, we need the Death Star online as soon as possible.”

“Master, if you’d only allow me a few Star Destroyers and give me permission to end this. The Rebels are scattered and ready to be crushed. We do not need such a weapon.”  
  
“Are you questioning me, Vader?” the Emperor was instantly livid. Vader was still on one knee. He bowed his head.

“No, Master, I only question this use of resources. We could end this war with less. The weapon you propose is....”

“Overkill?” the Emperor was suddenly calm again. “I agree. I... come closer Vader, it’s time I shared something with you.” 

The Emperor turned his chair towards the windows that lined the back wall of the throne room, and once Vader joined him he stared out at the stars and told Vader about visions he’d had as a child. At first they’d merely felt like a call to the dark side, an occasional reminder that as he came into his abilities he also came into a thirst for blood and dominance. For all he knew at the time, everyone like him had dreams like this. However he’d spent the past many years meditating on these dreams and visions, and came to realize that it was something else entirely. Something, maybe in his lifetime, would come into the galaxy and tear it to pieces. In his old age he began to think of his legacy. These invaders would erase any trace of that legacy, and he found that unacceptable. 

“Is that something that  _ you  _ want to happen, Vader?” 

“No, Master.”

“Good, I didn’t think so. Have you ever had visions like what I described? Tell me now.”  
  
“Yes, I believe I have.” 

“Then do we agree on what must be done?”

“Yes, Master.”

“I’m  _ so _ glad,” the Emperor said venomously. “Be quick about it.”

The vision meandered, followed Vader to his quarters, showed him staring at the plans for the Death Star. Through the last seconds of the vision Ben was once again able to feel something that Vader felt. Complex emotions about his children and then... an intense fear for them.

Ben was silent, confused. He’d discovered Vader cared about his children, Ben’s own mother and uncle, and not because they were a potential source of power that he could someday wield, he just cared for them without even knowing them. And he didn’t mourn not knowing them, he understood it was better for them. Vader hated the Emperor more than anything, yet served him like a dog. His grandfather was not at all what he’d expected. In some ways, he decided his grandfather was weaker than he was. The shock of this was far greater than the shock of finding out that Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader had known about the coming invasion as well.

“Is that it, witch?”

“One more thing, Kylo. Over the years you screw up. A lot. But just because she’s a jedi doesn’t mean she’s some kind of impossible puzzle. She’s still a woman. Try cut flowers, sweets, a bottle of Dolomar spice wine. After a childhood like hers, she comes to enjoy comfort, and you  _ really can’t _ spoil her, she’s too focused. Tell her I’ll meet with her here tomorrow, at dawn.”

Ben paced along the walls of the courtyard. He resented how much the witch made everything between he and Rey seem like a foregone conclusion. He was also struggling with a sense of loss. The ideas he had about his grandfather were wrong. He didn’t have to spend the rest of his life trying to measure up to that man, in many ways he’d already achieved a greater sense of detachment in his life. Vader wasn’t some single minded Sith that used his power to bring order to the galaxy, he was  _ driven  _ by his attachments and spent enormous amounts of energy trying to conceal that fact. Ben reached the entrance tunnel. He walked into the tunnel until he met the wights and he began to cut through them. He slashed and hacked until his rage and confusion were spent and then he walked willingly back into the courtyard and sat down by the stream, exhausted. He must have slept a few hours, it was dusk when he was himself again. Still feeling confused and a little empty, he set about eating one of the tougher fruits that didn’t need peeling. It had an oaky flavor, and crunched loudly with every bite. Finished he resumed pacing the courtyard walls. This time he encountered Rey, seated against a tree, lost in thought. They made eye contact. She made a face of disgust and looked away, still incredibly angry with him. Suddenly he found he couldn’t  _ not _ think of her kissing him, the feeling of her lips, the image of her choosing to die at his side. It made his head swim. He wanted to say something. He was sure he’d screw it up. He also wanted to continue pacing, as if he could walk things into making sense. The need to walk won.

On his next round of the walls, she had moved. This was a problem, because he’d remembered the witch had asked him to let Rey know tomorrow was her turn. He wasn’t keen to do the witch’s bidding but he understood that they needed every piece of this puzzle, and they needed to leave here as soon as they could. Finally tired of walking he sat where she had been, finding traces of her warmth still lingered there. He closed his eyes and tried to reach for her with his mind as stars wheeled above him. When he found her, he hid much of himself and merely tried to impress on her the words,  _ she’ll meet you tomorrow _ . Rey was annoyed but acknowledged him before she cut herself off. He rested there through the night, his mind still raging.

____________________________________________________________________________

Rey met the witch at dawn.

She sat at the plinth ready for what she was meant to see alone.

The witch seemed different than the day before, freer, happy. Velall smiled wide. “The last two days were... difficult. Today will be difficult in an entirely different way.”  
“What you mean?” Rey asked.

“I’m going to ask you to accept something impossible. I’m going to ask you to accept things about yourself that you will be uncomfortable with. I’m going to ask you to look inside yourself and see that the future ahead of you is  _ yours _ . You must own it, you must wear it like armor. But first, I’m going to tell you about myself, so that you know I understand some of what I’m asking you to go through.”

This felt like a vision, but Valell explained it was different, this was a sharing of her own memory through the force. Rey saw a young Valell fantasizing of power, scheming against her sisters, hoping to travel the stars. She saw Valell come into some of her own power, and she felt Valell’s hunger for more. When the dreams of this temple came to Valell, she was perfectly positioned to fall into it’s trap. What Valell didn’t know is that a rival of hers, a light force user from the same planet, had also been receiving dreams about this temple. A tall brunette with fierce green eyes, her rival was receiving messages that implored her to stop Valell from stealing the power it claimed to hold. The temple called them both and ensnared them both. 

Their battle outside the temple entrance was like nothing Rey had ever witnessed. Their powers were vast, they tore the jungle surrounding the temple to pieces. They controlled and fought on top of towering Rancors that they’d brought with them when they’d each traveled here. After those creatures were spent they battled for control of the weather of the planet, sending screaming wind and choking rain at each other. They were both wild and terrifying but in the end Valell won. She entered the temple sure that her opponent was dead. Valell was trapped by the wights as she and Ben had been and Valell’s opponent, still alive, followed her to the same fate within hours.

The visions began immediately, racking Valell and the light user day in and day out for weeks. To survive the torment they put aside their hostilities. The pieces of the puzzle began to come together for them. They came to realize there was a consistent, if utterly confusing, narrative to what they were seeing and they went to each other to continue to figure it all out. Valell and the light user weren’t always shown the same visions, but eventually they shared everything they saw with each other. Though they each in turn tried escaping countless times and even once tried fighting their way out together, they never succeeded. 

Having shared that part of the story, Valell was able to now share a vision she received after her companion’s death. A gift, she called it.

The world was brighter, more detailed, and more vivid. It was clear Rey was now seeing out of eyes that perceived light a little differently than her own, slightly alien. She looked down at the stream she knew well now, and saw reflected in the stream Valell’s companion. She held a peeled orange-green fruit in her hand, and was walking to Valell, effectively sneaking up on her. 

“Gerzir, Tali! May the fanged-lord take you, you scared me.”  
  
Tali giggled and stepped closer to Valell. She pulled apart a piece of the fruit in her hand, and offered it to Valell. Valell sneered impishly, happy to see her companion up and well rested. “No, I’m mad at you. See?” Valell stuck out her tongue.

Tali stopped and became serious. “Last night, that vision, it was the worst yet. You held me after I fainted. Thank you.”

“Well, don’t get all weird about it. The violent ones bother you so much, it’s clear you’re just weaker than me. That’s the only reason I...”

Tali stepped forward and placed the piece of fruit she held to Valell’s lips, stopping her short. After a brief, confused pause, Valell took a bite, staring into Tali’s eyes. She reached for Tali’s face, through the vision Rey could feel Valell caress her jawline. It made Rey a little uncomfortable. Tali dropped the rest of the fruit and they fell into each other’s arms. The vision ended, though afterwards there were echoes of emotion throughout the courtyard. Peace and sweetness made tiny tangible waves through the force around them. 

“Why isn’t she here, like you?” Rey asked when the vision was ended.

“When Tali died most of her energy moved on. When I died, my energy remained. Another mystery of this temple.”

“I’m sorry.”

“We had long years here together. We pieced together the mysteries of these visions. We came to understand why our lives were bound here, in service, to prevent a terrible future. Together we decided in what order to show you things, and who should see what. We thought you might come in our lifetimes, but we were so wrong.”

“There’s more I can share that might help you.” 

This was actually a collage of memories. Tali was showing Valell how to use force powers that were... from the light side. And Valell was teaching Tali to harness the dark! These memories had to be wrong. They  _ felt _ wrong, like watching a crime take place. They practiced together in the courtyard. They spent a lifetime sparing and meditating as it pleased them when they weren’t working on the problems the visions presented.

When they came out of the memories, Valell said, “You have to understand, we knew we were stuck here forever. No one was around to tell us this was wrong. We did what we wanted, and there were no repercussions. When I died, it’s true, my body merged with the light of the force. Tali changed me and perhaps using the light side of the force changed me as well. But I didn’t change her. No matter what mantras she practiced, no matter what part of the force she used, she was still just... good. There was nothing dark about her. She had less dark in her than you do Rey! Though she played with the dark like a toy. Someone who makes their own path in this way, they are powerful and free. I can only think that the elders, they lie about the nature of the force because they are afraid. That fear must be why force sensitive communities outlaw allowing dark and light users to coexist. At some point it becomes a tradition no one questions.”

Rey shook her head. It still felt wrong.

“Now, we spent our lives learning as much as we could about you both, trying to empathize with both of you, knowing what your futures would be like. And I must tell you, trying to empathize with Kylo? Ben? It was hard even for me at times, though in my youth I had a deep seated lust for power, command, and order, just like he does. He’s... unique, Rey. Few are born like him, with abilities that most people could scarcely dream of, but the sense of a baby Rancor.”

Rey had seen pictures and holovids of Rancors, but had never imagined one as a baby. The image she imagined and it’s comparison to Ben made her smile.

“You can’t change him, not like Tali changed me. We saw that, we felt it, understood it and hated it. I’m sorry, child... what I wouldn’t give to make that happen for you. There is light in him, yes, but the battle between light and dark in him was already fought years ago. Dark won. You know this, yes?” Rey nodded in reply.   
“Now you can’t shape him into something that you think you want. In so many ways he will never change. But you can get what you _need_ from him. Keep that in mind while I let you see this next vision.”

Rey was staring at a fire while it blazed in a white marble hearth. She could sense immediately that she was looking out her own eyes, looking down at her own body. She stood. Her future self had just bathed, evidenced by a towel she’d used lying on the floor by her feet. She’d been warming herself and drying off by the fire. Naked, she walked across white marble tile towards a large bed covered in luxurious black furs. She felt a chill this far from the fire. She picked up a black hooded robe from the bed and draped it around her shoulders. It’s fastenings hung loose and useless, too big for her, and the bottom of the robe pooled on the floor around her ankles. She put her arms through it’s sleeves and pulled it across her, holding it closed with one hand. She trailed the fingers of her free hand through the soft furs on the bed as she found herself walking towards open double doors. There was an extensive balcony beyond them. A cold breeze blew in and toyed with her long, loose, still-wet hair. She saw a figure leaning on the railing outside, a tall man, moonlight defining his features. He was shirtless despite the cold. Several scars ran across his muscular back. As she approached him in the vision Rey recognized the slightly curly dark hair and realized it was Ben. When she was close enough to touch him her vision-self trailed her fingers lightly across his shoulders. A tension left him immediately, he turned his head towards her. He touched her face. She slid herself between him and the railing. He leaned into her, buried his face in her neck, breathed her in. She could feel the stubble on his chin as he kissed her neck. In the vision it all felt familiar, this wasn’t their first time together like this. They kissed and she let go of the robe she was holding closed in order to wrap both of her arms around his neck. His hands slipped inside the robe to touch her waist, then to lift her up onto the railing. She wrapped her legs around him as they kissed passionately for several sweet minutes. 

His hands roamed with a possessiveness she found she enjoyed. She felt it, Gods she felt it, she felt  _ loved _ . He carried her inside and laid her down on the bed. Their kisses increased in urgency, she felt heat throughout her body. They seemed hungry for every inch of each other. His mind was open to her, and hers to him. She felt butterflies in her stomach, she felt a bit weak, but it was heaven. Rey lost herself in the vision, she forgot that she should feel shame or be embarrassed by what was going on. She felt herself as a woman, she felt that unique power and she understood how it mingled with a desire to share it with someone, with  _ Ben _ . They were the only people in the galaxy to each other. The vision ended after they’d both come. Their moment was perfect, real and tender. 

She almost threw up. The conflicting emotions once she’d come back into her body made her head spin. 

“I’ve seen what you saw?” Valell said quickly, “but I wasn’t experiencing it with you right now. Just so you know. I’m not always experiencing the visions along with you when I share them.”

“Valell, I think I’m going to be ill.” And she doubled over but she only dry heaved over the grass. When she collected herself she yelled, “GODS, YOU SHOULD HAVE WARNED ME!!”  
  
“I didn’t realize you would have this much of a reaction!” Valell was slightly concerned  but mostly humored. “I always thought it was a _nice_ vision. It’s supposed to give you... peace about everything else that has to happen. Take some time. Come back when you’re ready for the next.”  
  
“THERE’S MORE LIKE THAT?”

“No! No, Rey, I don’t have to show you anything more like that. It’s okay! You’re okay. But seriously! I show you the death and destruction of the entire galaxy... and you almost throw up when I show you  _ love _ ?”

Rey sat on the grass for a while, taking it all in. 

“You’re right. I just. I grew up alone. I’ve never been close to someone, let alone like that. I never had anyone to talk to me about...” she made a vague hand gesture, “that stuff. I learned about it as this... shameful perverse thing. I guess I don’t like thinking about it... no one ever made it seem normal. Men on Jakku, they disgusted me. I disgusted many of them! And I  _ had _ to avoid  _ anyone _ that looked at me at all. They didn’t want anything good. I could sense it.”

“That’s all... very real and valid stuff, Rey. I’m sorry. But you’re okay. And you are still a bit young. You saw you were older in that vision, right? That it was something you wanted? It’s different... when it’s like that.”

“I guess.”

“Can you imagine, Rey? If things change even just a little, can you imagine a future where that happens?”

“I don’t want to. He’s a monster.”

“He’s a tool, a blade. In time he can be  _ your _ blade. You need him and his power to keep the galaxy alive. And I’ll tell you a secret of his. He respects you. There is no one else in this galaxy that he respects more than you. Part of that is because you are powerful, strong with the force. That’s a shallow tendency a lot of dark users like us have, to respect power. But there’s something else there, he does respect you for who you are. And even now he’d do more than he would ever admit to earn the same respect from you.”

Rey sat thoughtfully.

“You understand I couldn’t show him this. He would get the wrong idea. He might... expect things.” Rey nodded in agreement. “But there are other visions I could show you,  _ beautiful memories _ you’ll have someday, if we had time I would show them all to you, so that you’d understand. Rey you aren’t alone, you won’t ever be truly alone again. Trust yourself. You’ll always know what to do when the time comes. It’s your greatest gift.” The ghost came down to where Rey was.

“I’d help you up if I could.” Valell said. Rey stood on her own. “Walk with me,” Valell added as she floated off, back into the orchard. After a while she stopped at one of the many trees that beared the orange-green fruit she loved. “I buried Tali here, in the roots of her favorite tree.” She pressed her ghostly forehead against the tree’s bark. The dappled sunlight shone right through her as she did it, making her harder to see. “I feel her here. Can you?”

Rey reached out, tentatively. She felt the tree’s slight and ancient energy... and something else. A contentment, a sweetness, a fey humor. “I think I can.”

“Love is weird, Rey. It’ll rip you apart and put you back together a thousand times. But each time it puts you back together it makes you stronger. Know that.”

Valell left the tree and beckoned Rey to follow her again. She brought them to the entrance of an antechamber. “Ignite your saber, girl, so you can see.” They went inside.

“This is where I laid myself to rest. I knew my death was coming. I cleared the other remains from here, respectfully. I wasn’t sure I had the right to lay with the people who’d been here before. But I didn’t want to rot under the sun, leaving my bones for you to see when you got here, if you got here. Occasionally I had my doubts. Before I died I wondered if I’d been alone here all along, and if I was absolutely mad. But mostly, I kept the faith, Tali helped with that. I hoped to inspire you by showing you the love that Tali and I came to share, but in truth, it was visions of you and Ben that inspired  _ us _ . When it was revealed to us that you two had come to an understanding, we realized... perhaps we were not lost ourselves.”

Rey stared down at Valell’s remains, just a skeleton now with a few bits of black cloth hanging to it. “Rey, trust your beautiful, courageous heart. Move forward with compassion, but be pragmatic. Use everything, every power at your disposal. Move beyond this concept of light and dark. Forge a new way of being! Rey, I believe that is your true destiny! I believe you’re the mother of something new, something better!” Her words rang in the chamber.

“You don’t know me, but I know you so well. Tali and I came to think of you... almost like a daughter.” Valell looked down at her own corpse. Her tone shifted. “The metal beads in my hair,” she paused then chuckled, “I mean, the beads lying there about my skull,” she gestured at them, “they were passed down to me from my mother and my aunt. One was a gift from my chieftainess, she gave it to me when I was a girl and subdued a wild Rancor myself.” As she said this she held a few of the beads out in turn, as they appeared on her ghost form. “They are meant to be passed down, and it pains me that they lie here forgotten. Rey, you don’t have to wear them, but it would mean so much to me if you would take them with you. I’d hand them to you myself if I could manipulate matter.”

Rey picked them up and held them in her palm, none had rusted in all the time Velall had lain here, she wondered what they were made of. “They give off dark energy.” 

“It’s true, they have  _ power _ . Not much... but... well... like I said, you don’t have to wear them.”

Rey picked one that she favored from her palm. She put the rest in her pocket. She pulled her hair down and began braiding a section. “I understand the braid holds it in place, but how do I get the bead  _ on _ ?”

____________________________________________________________________________

 

That night a storm came in, and with it, cold. Rey had chosen to hole up in a small empty chamber faced away from the wind, rubbing her limbs to stay warm. Ben found her. He appeared at the entrance to the alcove, his arms loaded with kindling and larger branches. 

“You need a fire, it’s just going to get colder.” He had to raise his voice to be heard over the howling wind.

“GO AWAY!” She yelled. He was right but she’d find her own damn kindling.

“FINE! FREEZE!” He shouted back. He turned away from the alcove.

“WAIT.” She wasn’t sure why she yelled it. He wasn’t sure why he turned back. She stood and walked towards the entrance.

“I’m sorry. You can come in.” He did.

To start a fire he closed his eyes and rubbed his thumb across his fingertips. A fire caught immediately.  “Well,  _ that _ is something I’d like to learn.” She said. He didn’t respond right away, he just looked over at her, gauging her. She was more guarded than he’d ever seen her before. He felt very little from her. She looked different, her hair was down and still slightly wet from the sudden storm. She wore a look of defiance, but not just because of his presence. No, he decided the source of this defiant look was an inner struggle. He wished he could know what she’d seen today, she hadn’t been with the witch much past midday.

“Well, that’s something Master Luke taught me. It’s not dark or a secret. It’s really just a trick of moving the air molecules rapidly...” 

“Oh. I can’t right now...” she cut him off, “Sorry, I didn’t mean... now.” She said. She couldn’t possibly learn something while her mind was this turbulent.

“That’s fine.” He paused, “What did you see today?”

“What did  _ you _ see  _ yesterday _ ?” She countered.

He scowled but he understood. He wasn’t ready to tell her what he saw either, he might never be. But he decided to share something vague, “It was a little about me... and a little about... us.”

She hid her face in her hands. “Mine too.”

“We don’t have to talk about it. You just seem... gods, you just look like you’re at war with yourself. You look how I feel.”

He leaned against the wall of the chamber. The warmth of the fire was already making the chamber much more habitable. She relaxed a little and chewed the inside of her lip, “I’m sorry I don’t want to talk.” They were silent as the storm raged outside. As needed, he added kindling and branches to their fire. Eventually they both slept where they sat.

The storm had passed but it had left the ground marshy and the stream swollen. They waited at the plinth for Valell, and the next two days were concerned with strategy, key dates and more visions like the first day’s. With the ground still wet they decided to continue sleeping in the alcove, but they gave each other plenty of space. Neither could think of ways to start conversations that didn’t revolve around strategies for defeating the Vong.   
____________________________________________________________________________

 

The next morning Valell was nowhere to be found. They waited at the plinth, they walked through the orchard. Finally, Rey stopped and turned to Ben.

“If she’s not coming, I have something to say, Ben.”

“Say it.” He looked at her, at the fire in her eyes. She looked as though she was daring him to contradict her next words. Seeing that, he felt certain that he would.

“We won’t kill anyone left in the Resistance. There will be  _ no more needless killing _ .”

“Well what’s  _ your _ plan then, Jedi?” He sneered with the last word.

“I’ll take care of it. I’m not their leader... but I’ll take care of it. You take care of the Order, I’ll handle the Resistance. Deal?” 

This time, it was she who held out her hand to him. The woman before him was fearless, calm, and resolute. He looked down. He realized this moment meant more than it seemed. She offered a partnership. He knew it would work. He knew which future he wanted. He took her hand. 

A low rumble began near the entrance and eventually shook the ground beneath them. When it was over, another ghost appeared beside them.

“Are you... Tali?” Rey asked, shocked.

“Who is this?” Kylo demanded to know.

“She’s a friend, she lived here a long time ago.”

“I don’t have much time,” Tali smiled at Rey, “but I want to see Valell. Will you follow me?”   
Rey nodded and they gave her a head start. After a short walk they finally saw Valell standing besides Tali’s tree, her back towards them. Tali came very close to her before Valell turned, startled, and exclaimed in surprise, “Oh Tali, is it really you?” They threw their arms around each other. “Does this mean it’s over?”

“Yes, my love, it’s finally over.”

They embraced for a while before they turned to Rey and Ben. Still holding each other, still smiling, they began to fade away. 

“We’ll always be with you,” Valell said to Rey before they vanished. 

____________________________________________________________________________

  
They walked out through the tunnel without incident. Artoo beeped and whirred when they reached the ship. He’d been worried about Rey, of course, and the storm had taken out some of the ship’s sensors. They cleared some debris from the ship and performed some basic maintenance on it. They didn’t need to talk outloud much, they found themselves communicating through their connection to the force throughout the day. An ease was growing between them, and they were quick to celebrate it with food that wasn’t fruit. Before they left for Crait they laid out all their rations on a blanket and had a makeshift feast. When Rey commented sarcastically about there not being any fruit to eat, Kylo produced a handful of various seeds from an inner pocket in his robes. She looked at him with surprise.  _ What?  _ He said through their connection _ , I liked some of them. And there are hydroponic bays on several of the First Order’s ships...  _ he corrected himself, _ My ships _ . This moment felt good and easy, it was the first of the many good moments they would steal together. The only distraction they had was realizing that the intense work that would be the rest of their lives was about to begin. That didn’t feel so bad, as they were coming to realize that they’d never be truly alone again. 


End file.
